Today's Opinions

Because I was born and raised in Los Angeles County, Calif., I’m used to some pretty horrible traffic. Usually, I would have to leave at least 30-45 minutes earlier than I would normally have to just to get somewhere on time.

The habit stuck with me over the years, and even though the worst thing I have to worry about for traffic here is a tractor on the road, I still manage to leave 30-45 minutes earlier than I would normally have to.

The Bluegrass country around Lexington, not far from where I live in Lebanon, is home to some of the finest racehorses. It’s exciting to watch the horses bolt from the starting gate, and the sound of their hooves thunders across the track.

It was our first foray into Christmas shopping, 2014, the day after Black Friday.

I meandered aimlessly through the department store, my wife’s words echoing in my ears: “We’ll just stop for a few things after we take Mary to the airport. At least we’ll get some Christmas shopping started. Don’t worry. I want to get back early, too.”

That was an hour a half ago, a passing moment for a shopper; an eternity for me.

The truth is, she is a conflicted shopper: She loves to shop but doesn’t like to have to shop.

There are three surefire signs of getting old. The first is forgetfulness.

I don’t remember what the other two are.

Must not have been important.

Anyway, now that I’m past middle aged, I can tell you that my memory isn’t what it used to be. If I didn’t, then Cindy would.

Unlike myself, Cindy has a photographic memory and never forgets anything. It’s something that comes in quite handy for her when we have “loud discussions” at home. Any of you other guys have that problem out there?

Administrators often comment on what effective leaders they are, but true leaders do not reflect on the administrative acumen. This dichotomy is reflected in the difference between administrators and leaders. Administrators are process/policy focused whereas leaders are outcome focused. As long as an issue is being researched, studied, reviewed, revised, administrators are satisfied that progress is being made. Leaders, on the other hand, understand that achievements, not intentions are of paramount import.